Dear Traveler,
Man! Storms! Just when it feels like I have arrived, I get reminded of what the apostle Paul said I have not yet arrived at my goal (Philippians 3:12). I don’t know what storms you are going through right now, but I hope what follows will help you.
What do I wish I knew before I started my journey? I wish I knew life continues. It doesn’t get easier; in fact it gets harder. I bet you didn’t’ expect to see that.
Let me reflect.
Many people say God wants us to succeed, be healthy, and rich. All true, but maybe not in the way the world would defines those terms. Some get blessed with wealth, but it comes with stress and responsibility for self and others at a different level. Am I rich? Not monetarily. Some are blessed with health, but what do you do with always being healthy? Think Monther Theresa. Success doesn’t always mean worldly success. Sometimes success is getting up and out of bed in the morning. Success is definitely reading your Bible daily. Am I always successful? No.
Bible success is very important and when I am not successful, storms hit me harder because I am not ready. The Bible is our base, our Rosetta stone, our life jacket. When storms come, they will get bigger, badder, and more intense, the place to go is the Bible. The Bible reminds us to reflect on how God worked in the ancient past and our past. Then spend some time praying and reflcting or meditating on how he is going to help through this storm. Notice I did not say, deliver you from the storm. Storms are here for a reason; we have to determine what we need to learn from it.
Let’s look at Psalm 1:2. His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on God’s law he Meditates both day and night.
Storms will come day and night. In fact, I had a small storm recently, but it seemed like it has lasted a year. How did I make it through? Surrounding myself with reminders of God. Reminders of his love for me. Reminders that he has a plan for me. Reminders that you are reading these letters. Bible verses. Other believers. Prayer. My storm was self-inflicted. My daughter said it was my midlife crisis. I got a puppy. As far as storms go, this was mild. But midlife means age and set in my ways. Time was a block that I thought I was ready for. I was not. I like getting eight to nine hours of sleep every night instead of up every two hours. I thought I needed company, but I was not ready for the constant pull on my attention. I started getting “cranky”. Let’s get real I started getting angry. Angry at who? At my puppy. Now how could he ever know that I had unrealistic expectations that he needed to meet? He was six weeks old and doesn’t speak English! Who puts that kind of weight on one of God’s creatures that has been on this earth for only six weeks? A sinful one. Me. I had to sit down and evaluate what the real problem was. The real problem? Me. I was not meditating on God’s Word. After reviewing Psalm 1, several times, I knew it was time to send out a new letter, connect with you, dear traveler, admit the crack in my foundation, patch it up, and shine the reflecting mirror again. This storm is very small when I take all things into consideration, but sometimes the small annoying storms are the storms that we need to learn the most from.
I named my puppy son of God’s strength. He LOVES everyone and everything. No lie! I have to ask other people if their pet is friendly. He would run up on everyone and everything to show them how excited he is to see them, accepts their love unconditionally, and is sad when we have to leave. Even cats! When we get home his needs challenge me. A dog trainer I follow, Ceasar Millan, says you don’t get the dog you want you get the dog you need. I need Mac to be social. I tend to be very introverted. I need Mac to challenge me to a be better version of me when we are home. Mac is the dog God wanted me to have. Mac reflects God’s love to everyone causing me to get out more and engage with the other pet owners. Mac reflects God’s challenges to me to help me be a better reflection of God even at home behind closed doors with no one but Mac and God to be witnesses to my journey of following Jesus Christ.
Again, I know this is a minor storm. I acknowledge it’s not the hurricane you are going through. Just remember you have not “arrived” yet but continue to remember what God has done for you already, focus on scripture, “meditate day and night”, and surround yourself with help. Help when you are out in public and at home by yourself. People who will call out your shortcomings, but happy to help you through them, not judge you. Dive into the healing waters of the Bible. Those waters will infiltrate your cracks, but also give assistance in patching up your hull to be able to sail on without dry docking you to make you start all over (no shame). Success can be surrounding yourself with people who help you in your journey. Church, small group, mentors, lighthouses. People who have been through storms and continue to weather them. God created us to live connected. If you have not connected, connect. Send out the signal; other travelers will answer; other lighthouses will answer.
My dear Traveler, you are not alone! God loves you and so do so many people. Reach out. They are close, and God is closer.
Reflecting The Light,
the lighthouse